![]() ![]() ![]() It spent several centuries in the Abbey of Kells, where it got its name As a large, lavish book, it would have been used not for education or reading, but as part of Mass for sacramental purposes. The blue used in the book, lapis lazuli, was only found in the Middle East, and was exorbitantly expensive as a result.Ĭopying out the text, not to mention the intricate decoration, would have taken hours to complete, even by learned scholars, scribes and artists. The book is made from vellum (fine calfskin) and uses expensive pigments and gold to decorate letters and title pages, as well as to illustrate passages. ![]() No expense was spared in the book’s production It’s thought there was some more preliminary material in the text, including possibly copies of religious letters, but these pages have not survived. Most of the text was copied from a copy of the Bible known as the Vulgate, which was produced in the 4th century, although some passages mirror earlier versions of the Bible more closely. The book was one of a series of illuminated manuscripts produced between the late 6th and early 9th centuries containing the four New Testament gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It contains the four New Testament gospels But as populations declined in areas within the UK, so did the number of attendees, leaving several churches neglected. With Christianity dominating Europe, the Church became one of the most powerful institutions in Britain during the Medieval period and its places of worship played a crucial role in the focal points of people's lives, from birth to death. Either way, it was produced by a group of Columban monks, which is evident from the style and script used. The abbey at Iona and the Abbey of Kells were closely linked, leading many to hypothesise the book was started in Iona and perhaps finished in Kells. Whilst its name suggests it was produced in Kells, it is widely believed that the book was actually produced in a monastery on the west coast of Scotland, possibly in Iona, sometime in the late 8th or early 9th centuries. Exactly where it was produced is a mystery Here are 10 facts about the spectacular manuscript. Produced at great expense and intricately decorated, the Book of Kells is also remarkably well preserved, having survived over a millennia of turmoil, upheaval, invasion and bloodshed in the British Isles. The Book of Kells has aptly been described in the Annals of Ulster as "the chief treasure of the Western world.The Book of Kells is one of Ireland’s greatest treasures: an illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels created around the year 800, it resides in Trinity College Dublin’s famous library, where it is visited by over a million people every year. Among the elaborate colors are blue (made from indigo), red (from lead), copper green, and yellow arsenic. It’s astonishing that monks living in relative isolation were able to prepare a manuscript now known worldwide for its incomparably lavish decorations. They presumably took the manuscript with them. When Vikings raided the island in 806, killing dozens, the monks fled to the monastery at Kells in Ireland. It was likely produced around AD 800 in a monastery on the western Scottish island of Iona, though this location is disputed. The Book of Kells contains the four Gospels in Latin. Others are Celtic designs, including knots, interlaced curved bands, and trumpet patterns. Some are other forms, like foliage, fish, animals, imaginary monsters, and angels. These letters are surrounded by a stunning variety of shapes and colors. Chi and Rho are the first two letters of “Christos,” the Greek word for Christ. Named after the two large Greek letters that cover the page, it is counted among the most beautiful works of art from medieval times. Among the 680 gorgeously decorated pages of the Book of Kells is the Chi Rho page. Every year half a million visitors flock to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, to see one very special Bible manuscript. ![]()
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